In addition to being excited that it’s Friday (and Valentine’s Day!) I’m also jazzed that warmer weather is on the way. We’re only talking 35 degrees here, give or take a few degrees, but up until this week we haven’t been above freezing since January. Wretched. However, like a friend recently mused on Facebook – what the hell would we talk about if the weather was just average? Seriously, like…what? The Olympics? For some reason I just can’t get into them this year. Oh, except #sochiproblems. Kills me!

Aaanyway, I’ve got an extremely difficult recipe for you today. Brace yourselves for lots of measuring, dishes, ingredients…NOT. The recipe for Mini Pizza Quinoa Bites is so easy that an infant could make it. Or try anyway. Lincoln kept lunging at the bowl as I was making these irresistible bites. Honestly I can’t blame him – they’re insane!

Toss some pizza-themed ingredients in bowl, scoop the mixture into mini muffin tins, and then bake. Oh, then reap the CHEESY PIZZA REWARDS. I am so obsessed with these bites!

Mini Pizza Quinoa Bites are a riff on a couple of my favorite quinoa cups recipes, Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups and Mini BLT Quinoa Cups. As delicious as those are, though, I think the pizza version is my absolutely favorite. All the fabulous pizza flavor, but lighter since we’re ditching the crust.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Friday night is pizza night in my house. Last Friday Ben was out of town so I took the opportunity to go a little crazy with my order. I ended up with a BBQ sauce pizza with chicken, bacon, black olives, tomatoes, and banana peppers. I know. The freedom clearly went to my head.

I reigned it in with these pizza bites and filled ’em with classic toppings like chopped pepperoni and sliced black olives, but you could fill yours with whatever you like – peppers, cooked sausage, onions, etc. I’m thinking Hawaiian Pizza Bites would be awesome (that’s Ben’s favorite!) Serve with warmed pizza sauce and you’re golden.

Spoon the mixture to the top of 24 mini muffin tin cups that have been sprayed VERY well with nonstick spray. The cheese in the mixture WILL stick if you don’t spray it well. Sorry for all the CAPS but this is IMPORTANT. Yikes.

Place the muffin tin on top of a foil-lined baking sheet then bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until golden brown. Let the bites cool for 5 minutes before popping them out of the cups.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil, then spray a 24-cup mini muffin tin VERY well with nonstick spray and set aside.

Add all ingredients except pizza sauce to a large bowl then stir to combine. Fill mini muffin tin cups to the top with the mixture then place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from cups. Serve with warmed pizza sauce.

To freeze: Place baked cups on a baking sheet then freeze until solid and transfer to a freezer bag. Microwave for 20-40 seconds depending on how many you're reheating.

For regular-sized muffin tins: Bake for 25-30 minutes (Note: I have not tried this myself, although several readers have left comments saying this works!)

This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.

Seriously, seriously so yummy. I can’t wait for you to try these. If you’ve got kids, I bet they’d love these special treats for Valentine’s Day dinner! Enjoy!

Why do you put the muffin pan on top of a foil lined baking sheet? Couldn’t you just put it directly on the rack? Or is to catch any “runover”? Or is it for an extra layer so the bottoms don’t burn? Just curious…thanks Kristin!

Use silicon cupcake pans or inserts! They still probably need to be sprayed but you can peel them right off. They are excellent for stuff like this! Check the seasonal clearance section at places like Target.

I would try flax eggs. 1 T. Ground flax and 3 T. Water. Mix together, let sit 10 min before adding to recipe. An rgg white is about half an egg, so one flax egg for the two egg whites.
Total for this recipe I’d use 3T ground flax and 9T (1/2 cup plus 1T) water.

It’s just me and my daughter tonight since the man of the house has a dinner meeting obligation (on V-day even, :( ) and papa murphy’s pizza was on the menu. However, I think I may save a few bucks and make these babies instead! With a dessert of chocolate molten lava cakes, of course! :)

Made these last night – so delicious! Used pepperoni, red and green bell pepper, and purple onion. I only have the regular sized muffin tins, so I bake for 26 min. A perfect pizza since my husband is gluten-free!

This would be a perfect way to crave my pizza craving! I am in the midst of trying to shed my final 15lbs! So what a great option!! Just might add jalapeños for a kick!! Thank you for a healthier and better option!!

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hi, i’m kristin!

My name is Kristin, and I'm an Iowa girl who loves to cook, eat, and travel! After being diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2013, I share delicious and approachable gluten-free recipes made with everyday, in-season ingredients. Visit my Recipe Index for inspiration!MORE ABOUT ME

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